The only thing I love more than traveling is traveling with someone I love.
Since 2013, I’ve been able to book over 30 buy-one-get-one flights by maximizing one of the best travel benefits around.
My Southwest Companion Pass allowed me to book a second ticket for a buddy of my choice on any Southwest flight I take, for just the cost of airfare taxes and fees — as little as $5.60.
I used the Southwest Companion Pass for a spontaneous weekend getaway to help a friend get over a bad breakup. Cruising through Hollywood in a rental convertible went a long way toward helping her feel like herself again.
Instead of spending more than $800 round trip for two last-minute tickets, I paid just $10 cash for both of us on top of the points I spent for my flight. (I let her buy me a drink to return the favor.)
My pass helped me fly a younger sibling to New York City and Portland for new jobs. I didn’t make a lot of money at the time, but he had even less as a new graduate. I wanted to contribute to his career in a meaningful way, so I offered to help him tour apartments in his soon-to-be new city and cover the cost of our flights.
Southwest doesn’t charge for up to two checked bags, so we were able to bring everything he needed in four suitcases instead of paying movers to ship his stuff or having him drive a U-Haul across the country.
I also used the Southwest Companion Pass to halve the price of flying a partner to destination weddings and vacations.
Several years ago, we went to New Zealand for around $260 per person, thanks to this benefit. We booked sale flights on Air New Zealand from Los Angeles for just $249 per person, even though we don’t live in California. Then I booked cheap Southwest tickets with points to get us from Austin to Los Angeles, paying just $11.20 round trip per person for taxes and fees.
To get the Southwest Companion Pass, you need to earn 135,000 Rapid Rewards points or fly 100 paid Southwest flights in a calendar year.
Earning 135,000 Rapid Rewards points typically requires spending a ton of money on Southwest flights, or opening two Southwest credit cards in a year to earn their welcome bonus offers.
But right now, there’s an easy way to get the Southwest Companion Pass for a whole year: Get just one new Southwest credit card and meet its welcome bonus spending requirements.
Southwest offers several credit cards for loyal travelers including the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card, which is one of Business Insider’s best airline credit cards.
The most affordable Southwest credit card is the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card, which has an annual fee of just $69 — a fantastic deal for unlimited buy-one get-one flights through 2/28/26 if you can earn the bonus by 3/31/25.
New cardholders can earn 30,000 bonus points and a Companion Pass® good through 2/28/26 after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
It’s relatively easy for most people to meet this spending requirement by putting groceries, utilities, and other common household bills on the card for several months.
Earn 2 points per dollar on Southwest® purchases. Earn 2 points per dollar on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases. Earn 2 points per dollar on local transit and commuting, including rideshare. Earn 2 points per dollar on internet, cable, and phone services, and select streaming. Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
$69
N/A
20.49% – 27.49% Variable
Earn Companion Pass® plus 30,000 points
Good to Excellent
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card is a solid choice if you fly with Southwest and want to earn a lucrative welcome bonus for the lowest annual fee. However, if you fly Southwest often, other Southwest personal cards could be a better fit if you can make the most of the benefits.
I’ve found the Southwest Companion Pass incredibly easy to use, even when I need to cancel or rebook travel.
You have to pick one person to be your companion at any time, although you can change your designated buddy up to three times a year.
After I book my own Southwest flight online, a button automatically appears next to my reservation that allows me to book my friend’s ticket.
I can only use the Southwest Companion Pass if there’s an extra seat available on the plane. But since Southwest doesn’t currently assign seats, I’ve almost always found availability when I book because any seat that isn’t already sold is fair game.
The Southwest Companion Pass is one of my favorite ways to share travel experiences with my loved ones. And I’m not alone: Thousands of people on Reddit and Facebook rave about this travel benefit, especially if they have children.
Some savvy households earn one Companion Pass per parent so they can bring two kids for no additional airline charges on family trips to aspirational (and expensive) places like Disneyworld and Hawaii.
The 30-plus flights I’ve booked for friends and family would probably have cost more than $10,000.
I probably wouldn’t have taken as many trips if I didn’t have the Companion Pass, so I won’t say it’s put money back into my wallet. Instead, I’d say my Southwest Companion Pass has given me $10,000 worth of opportunities to make core memories with the people I love most.
Interested in earning the Southwest Companion Pass in 2025?
Learn more about the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card in our review and decide if the perks make sense for you.
Read our Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card review.
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